By Stephen Appezzato
Two area residents are determined to make baseball a mainstay in the Special Olympics.
After a sudden injury that ended his professional baseball career early, Tony Vlahovic spent a year and a half in rehab learning how to walk again. During this time the former Red Socks player had to reconsider his future, identifying a cause that was most important to him.
“I always thought that if I had the opportunity to do some type of rehab work or work with people with disabilities, I would do it differently and have a little bit more of a soul and a heart involved with the process,” he said.
Fast-forward to now – Vlahovic and partner Gary Chropuvka are pioneering competitive baseball for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.
BaseABLE is a nonprofit with the mission of promoting the game of baseball for these athletes.
“It’s an opportunity for athletes that have always wanted to play the game of baseball but just never had the opportunity,” Chropuvka explained.
The organization offers clinics, exhibition games, a new summer league and other opportunities for players who may not have had the same access to competitive sport all their lives.
“I wear a baseball hat pretty much every day of my life, and so do these athletes. (The) difference is, I’ve had the opportunity to basically play and wear the hat for a specific team,” Vlahovic said. “These athletes have never had that opportunity, and we need to change that.”
The organization began in 2020 after Chopuvka, at his son’s travel baseball game, overheard Vlahovic sharing his passion for expanding baseball to those with disabilities and coaching the Team USA and Team New Jersey Special Olympics baseball teams. At the time, Chropuvka thought he could leverage his position with Goldman Sachs to help Vlahovic promote his cause.
“I was a partner over there, and I said, ‘I think I could be somewhat helpful to you and trying to get the message out and help organize it,’ ” he said.
With a shared goal, the two set off, meeting with Major League Baseball executives, Special Olympics leadership and companies to garner support.
In the past four years, BaseABLE has grown to offer a summer league, exhibition games against other state teams and clinics to players ranging from age 15 to 60. On July 28, the last of three summer game days will take place at Ranney School.
“We’ve had some very competitive games,” Chropuvka said. “It’s been unbelievably successful; we’re growing the number of fans.” According to Vlahovic, the lessons players learn on the field also help them in their day-to-day lives.
“One of the things that athletes with disabilities may struggle with at times is frustration or failure,” he explained. “(Baseball is) a great way to work through some of those frustrations and learn from them and learn some different coping techniques for their life in general.”
The team sport also offers community and camaraderie to its players.
“The idea of making a great play and having your teammates clap and having that bond and getting a hit and getting a high five or a hug, those mean a lot to athletes with disabilities who may not have those connections with that many people at that point in their life,” Vlahovic said.
At BaseABLE games, athletes pitch, bat, catch and play in an inclusive and competitive atmosphere. And just like in Major League Baseball, for safety, BaseABLE athletes only use wooden bats, no metal allowed.
Through their efforts, Vlahovic and Chropuvka are determined to make baseball a staple event in the Special Olympics. The sport was first added to the Special Olympics USA Games in 2014, with Alabama, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island competing. However, it was left out of the 2018 games. With the 2026 games around the corner, Vlahovic and Chropuvka are optimistic the sport will make a return.
Until then, BaseABLE will continue promoting its cause through a variety of events and opportunities for special athletes, including a clinic with the Philadelphia Phillies next month.
“We’re trying to grow the game, grassroots, around the country,” Chropuvka said. “We’re trying to create that and open those doors for a lot of people who have loved the game, wanted to be a part of something, and just have never had the opportunity to do that,” Vlahovic said.
The article originally appeared in the July 25 – July 31, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
